Bulawayo Deputy Mayor Councillor Edwin Ndlovu and fellow councillor Ntandoyenkosi Ndlovu have abandoned their bid for bail in a case in which they are accused of allegedly trying to extort a businessman of US$52,000.
Their lawyer, Kholwani Ngwenya, who was representing his colleague Nqobani Sithole, told the court on Tuesday that the two councillors had instructed their legal team not to proceed with the bail application.
They appeared before magistrate Isheunesu Matova.
“Your Worship, I am under the instructions that our clients will no longer be seeking bail in this matter,” Sithole submitted.
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Meanwhile, former councillor Alderman Rodney Jele applied for bail through his lawyer, Prince Butshe-Dube.
Butshe-Dube argued that the affidavit and statement forming the basis of the case against Jele had not been obtained lawfully. He said Jele had been denied timely access to legal counsel.
The lawyer also challenged the authenticity of the documents, arguing that Jele had made statements he might not have given had he been represented by a lawyer.
A Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) officer who testified in opposition to bail argued that Jele, by virtue of previously holding a senior public office, was expected to uphold the welfare of the city.
The officer said Jele’s alleged conduct was unbecoming of a public official.
He denied that Jele had been denied access to a lawyer, saying Jele had tried several times to contact his lawyer but was unsuccessful.
Butshe-Dube, however, maintained that Jele was only allowed to look for a lawyer after officers had already recorded the statements they wanted.
Magistrate Matova postponed the matter to Wednesday for a ruling on Jele’s bail application.
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